Meeting Packet
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Bay Area Metro Center 375 Beale Street, Suite 700 San Francisco, CA 94105 Meeting Agenda San Francisco Bay Trail Steering Committee Committee members: John Woodbury, Chair Julie Bondurant, Co-Chair Brenda Buxton, Leo Dubose, Ethan Lavine, Kelly Malinowski, Steve McAdam, Juan Raigoza Friday, May 31, 2019 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM CR-7102 Tamalpais The Committee may act on any item on this agenda 1. Call to Order / Confirm Quorum A quorum of this committee is three (3) board members. 2. Adoption of Agenda and Approval of Minutes 3. Announcements by Committee Members and Staff 4. Carquinez Strait Scenic Loop Trail Overview Information: A multi-jurisdictional partnership of city representatives, land trusts, park districts and trail organizations has formed to further advance the Carquinez Strait Scenic Loop Trail, part of the Bay, Ridge and Delta Trail systems. Learn about what they have accomplished so far and future plans for the network. Presenters: Huo, Gaffney, Westbrook 5. Bay Trail – Coastal Conservancy Block Grant #5 Overview Information: Overview of the ten projects awarded so far under Block Grant #5 as context for Committee consideration of a new and final grant award. Presenter: Thompson 6. Carquinez Strait Scenic Loop Trail Feasibility Study Action: Consideration of a $133,000 grant request from the County of Contra Costa to conduct a feasibility study for three Bay Trail gaps along the Carquinez Strait Scenic Loop Trail between Crockett and Martinez. Presenter: Huo Page 1 of 2 Bay Area Metro Center 375 Beale Street, Suite 700 San Francisco, CA 94105 7. Adjournment / Next Meeting The next meeting of the Bay Trail Steering Committee will be Thursday, July 11, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at the Bay Area Metro Center, 375 Beale Street, San Francisco, CA. Page 2 of 2 San Francisco Bay Trail Steering Committee Meeting Minutes Bay Area Metro Center January 10, 2019 Call to Order Meeting was called to order at 2:00 p.m. Attendance Steering Committee Bay Trail/MTC Staff John Woodbury, Chair Lee Huo Brenda Buxton (phone) Maureen Gaffney Leo DuBose Laura Thompson Ethan Lavine Ben Botkin Steve McAdam Juan Raigoza Board Corinne DeBra (phone) ACTION: Adoption of the 01/10/19 agenda and the 11/16/18 minutes: McAdam moved, Raigoza seconded. Yes Votes: John Woodbury Ethan Lavine Brenda Buxton Steve McAdam Leo DuBose Juan Raigoza No Votes: None Abstentions: None Announcements by Committee Members and Staff -Buxton Announced that Coastal Conservancy staff will bring a recommended Prop. 68 grant for the Ridge Trail to the Board this year and plans to bring grant recommendations for the Bay Trail and Water Trail in August. -Thompson Informed the Committee that Block Grant #4 from the Coastal Conservancy was completed in 2018, referring to the summary of accomplishments in the packet. The Bay Trail nonprofit’s $5,000 sponsorship of NBC Bay Area’s Open Road with Doug McConnell has been matched by the Bay Area Toll Authority’s $20,000 sponsorship that will allow for an entire episode dedicated to the Bay Trail during the 30th anniversary year. The Priority Conservation Area (PCA) grant program for the 5 southern counties was launched on January 7. This partnership between MTC and the Coastal Conservancy Page 1 of 3 includes up to $10 million for projects in PCAs that improve and enhance natural landscapes, agricultural areas, urban greening and regional recreation. Letter of interest are due on February 25. -Huo Following up on the operational issues discussed at the last Steering Committee meeting, announced that he attended a meeting in Oakland about homeless encampments at Union Point Park, also attended by businesses representatives, elected officials and city officials. The Bay Trail, Coastal Conservancy and BCDC are crafting a letter to the City of Oakland communicating concerns and reminding them of funding partnerships that created the public park and trail. The Bay Trail 30th anniversary plans are underway, meetings with the consultant have started with a final implementation plan expected by the end of January. We will have more information at the next meeting with events starting in March. -Botkin Announced that the Water Trail now has 45 designated sites, and new design guidelines were just released. The Steering Committee watched the video created by the Bay Area Toll Authority about plans for a bicycle/pedestrian pathway on the West Span of the Bay Bridge. 2019 Bay Trail Strategic Plan Thompson provided a background of the Bay Trail strategic plan developed in 2013, highlighting the board subcommittee that was formed to develop objectives through a scenario based planning process. She described staffs’ review and recommended changes to the plan as an update rather than starting from scratch on the plan. Since the Integrated Regional Planning Program (IRPP) Strategic Plan process is underway, it is recommended that the Bay Trail Strategic Plan be developed concurrently. She reviewed the primary staff recommendations for each objective, recording Committee feedback: Objective 3 The Committee discussed the pros and cons of revisiting more research for the Wildlife & Public Access Study to address the balance of wildlife and public access but concluded that decisions about wildlife impacts are made on a case-by-case basis. The recent Sonoma County and Santa Clara County economic benefits reports are worth looking at before we start this study. Objective 5 The question was asked whether there are examples from other regions of dedicated funds for regional trails. During the next state park bond formation, suggest that we work to get specific language directing funds to the Bay Trail. The need to promote the 12 existing audio tours was discussed. There will be opportunities to promote the tours through the 30th anniversary and coordination with our partners to help with outreach. Facebook ads would be one effective way to reach a wider audience. It would benefit the program to connect with partner websites to promote the tours. Page 2 of 3 Process The Committee agreed to have staff move forward with these recommended changes to the plan and bring to the full board as a draft at their spring meeting giving everyone a chance to weigh in. The Embarcadero Redesign Casey Hildreth provided an overview of the design alternatives for the Embarcadero Enhancement Project. The proposed layout considers a layout with slow, medium and fast speeds separated from each other at 5 – 15 – 25 mph. Near term safety improvements are expected by the end of 2019 and initial construction would begin by 2022. A planning concept design report will be released in early 2019. $12M has been programmed for construction but not secured with an expected $50-80 million total cost. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 p.m. Page 3 of 3 San Francisco Bay Trail Project Bay Area Metro Center 375 Beale Street, Suite 700 San Francisco, CA 94105 TO: Bay Trail Steering Committee DATE: May 23, 2019 FR: Laura Thompson RE: Bay Trail – Coastal Conservancy Block Grant #5 Update Since 1999, the ABAG/San Francisco Bay Trail Project and the State Coastal Conservancy have enjoyed a successful funding partnership in the form of several block grants awarding state park bond funds (Prop. 12, Prop. 40, and Prop. 84) to planning, design and construction projects along the Bay Trail. Over $20 million have been awarded over the lifetime of this partnership. The last remaining active grant is Block Grant #5 with $1 million awarded in May 2014. In December 2018 when the $6 million Block Grant #4 was closed out, the interest that had accrued on that grant was added to Block Grant #5, bringing its total to $1,021,992.37. Eight of the ten awarded projects are complete. This memo and the attached project spreadsheets provide a summary of accomplishments to date under Block Grant #5 as context for the next item on the agenda where the Committee will consider recommending a final grant award under this block grant. BLOCK GRANT #5 AWARDED PROJECTS Gilman Street to Buchanan Street Construction of Class I trail along shoreline and bluff edge of Golden Gate Fields in Albany and Buchanan Street Extension, currently underway. ($100,000) Goodrick Avenue Bay Trail Construction Construction of a 0.3-mile pathway adjacent to Goodrick Avenue in Richmond, linking existing trail along the Richmond Parkway with Dotson Family Marsh, currently underway. ($130,000) Dotson Family Marsh Bay Trail Construction Construction of 1.75 miles of trail adjacent to restored wetlands in North Richmond between the Richmond Parkway and Point Pinole Regional Shoreline. ($50,000) Dotson Family Marsh Page 1 of 2 Pinole Shores to Bayfront Park Construction of a trail bridge over the Union Pacific railroad tracks connecting the Pinole Shores Bay Trail segment with Pinole Bayfront Park closing a 0.5-mile gap. ($50,000) Lone Tree Point Studies Planning studies for segment between Victoria-by-the-Bay and Lone Tree Point along the Carquinez Strait in Contra Pinole Shores to Bayfront Park Costa County. ($20,000) Vallejo Bluff Trail Design & Engineering Preparation of plans, specifications and engineering documents for gap in Carquinez Strait Scenic Loop Trail. ($124,999) Stanly Lane Extension to Napa River Design Planning and design of spur segment to Napa River. ($100,000) Sears Point Restoration Trail Construction Construction of levee trail along edge of Sears Point Restoration. ($199,280) Sears Point Trail Connection Study Preparation of plans, specifications and engineering documents for new trail and trailhead @ Hwy 37/121, including a railroad crossing. ($87,982) Sears Point Restoration Vista Point Bay Trail Vista Point Trail soils testing from parking area to Fort Baker. ($26,344) If approved, the grant application under consideration at the May 31 meeting would spend down all but $387.23 of Block Grant #5.